Several arrests during routine illegal camping enforcement Monday in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Springs Police Department's Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) said that it arrested at least three people Monday morning during routine enforcement of a city ordinance that bans camping within 100 feet of a creek or other waterway.
However, police said that they took the suspects into custody not for violating the ordinance, but for having unrelated outstanding warrants for their arrests on felony and misdemeanor charges.
Police said that is a normal result of their regular enforcement of camps along waterways; Monday's arrests were made along Fountain Creek, just south of downtown near the intersection of Interstate 25 and Tejon Street.
KRDO went to the scene after receiving a call from someone who complained that police were seizing personal property from the homeless and evicting them from camps without advance notice.
Police said that wasn't true, explaining that they are required to post notices of an illegal camp eviction in a park or other public place within 24 hours of eviction, but illegal campers along a waterway have only an hour to gather their belongings and leave.
The city's neighborhood services team cleans up a camp and collects trash only after items of apparent value are gathered and returned to the homeless later
Police said that it's not a perfect system, but sometimes a camp is unoccupied when they arrive, so officers make every effort to avoid throwing away anything of value.
"I'd like to think we're making a difference," said Sgt. Olav Chaney. "I really believe we are making a difference. It's a slow process. Every time we contact these same folks, it's a matter of trying to convince them to get into rehab, almost all the time. Most of them have some sort of addictions to drugs and alcohol."
A record 2,800 truckloads of trash have been removed from homeless camps this year, police said.
Later this week, police will patrol the area again and strongly advise illegal campers to seek shelter at the Springs Rescue Mission -- just a short distance away from that stretch of the creek -- with sub-zero temperatures arriving.
The area patrolled by the HOT Monday was along the creek between Cimarron Street and South Nevada Avenue.
Walking through that area Monday was Wyatt May, who said that he's been homeless since losing a job three years ago and has found difficulty acquiring permanent housing.
"I can see why people don't want to go to a shelter," he said. "Too many restrictions. But I can't see why people resent police -- or me, because I clean up some of these areas for the city. We're just doing our job, trying to keep people safe and keep areas clean. I think most of the homeless people just want to be out here. You can only help yourself. Don't beg for somebody to help you. If you want help, You've got to help yourself."
